Avengers: Moving Forward
by PancakeOverdose
Summary: In the wake of an attack on Earth by the Kree that resulted in the deaths of thousands and the sacrifice of a superhero, superheroes are under widespread public scrutiny. What remains of the Avengers must find a way to restore hope in the masses. This is just a quick experiment to see the responses I'll get in the future, and to showcase my style of dramatic writing.


**Avengers: ****Moving Forward**

**Part 1: The Order (Captain America)**

_Ruins. All that remains is ruins. It's the nature of war. I should know best of all. When they thawed my star-spangled self out of that ice and I woke up in a world I didn't recognize, as distant to me as Ultron's perception of nobility, all that was left of my old life was ruins. Was victory over the Kree truly satisfying when the people we fought so bravely to defend can't bear to look at us as heroes? We may save the world, but we can't save everyone in it. And when we bring so much misery and despair to these people's lives… are we truly heroes? _

_These are the thoughts that go through my head as I stare out the window of the dilapidated Stark Tower. I look down upon the ravaged remains of New York. Construction cranes were reassembling the broken down buildings, or at least the important ones. Since the attack, the middle class people in their small apartments have been without homes. Even in the wake of crisis, the little people are still stepped on in favour of the spoiled 1 percenters. Speaking of which…_

_Tony finally emerges from his lab to meet me. In one hand, he holds a glass of whiskey. In the other, a damaged Iron Man helmet. As he stumbles drunkenly towards me, I hear him barely mumbling, cursing under his breath. His robe hangs loose over his shoulders. I've seen him like this before, but it hits me every time. He weaves through the hanging wires on the ceiling, stepping over the broken glass under his feet, and sits on his ruined couch, holding the helmet up to his face. _

"What can I do for you, Steve?" He asks me drunkenly. I turn to him, my hands behind my back.

"I think you know the answer to that, Tony." I replied. Tony shrugged, staring introspectively into his reflection against the gold of his faceplate. "We need you."

"Doesn't everyone?" He asked rhetorically. I sighed heavily.

"I'm gonna level with you, Tony: right now, I'm holding the Avengers together with scotch tape and glue. We need your expertise… your skillset."

"Well, someone has to fill the void, right?" I knew what he was talking about. "How is the old team, anyhow?" I turned to look at his torn wall art.

"T'Challa went back to Wakanda. His people needed their king. Hulk is god knows where…"

"Always."

"Carol keeps going off on these 'S.H.I.E.L.D. assignments'…"

"Well, there was an alien invasion…"

"Thor's been in Asgard for the last few weeks…"

"How about Janet?" He interrupted, his eyes shifting to look at me. "She okay?" I hesitated to answer as I turned to face him.

"She's…taking a leave of absence. Hank… well, you know… she hasn't taken it well."

"She's not the only one…" Tony muttered, taking a sip of his whiskey. "So if I'm not so drunk that I've forgotten how to count… that leaves Clint and Vision… wow, you really ARE running low on Avengers."

"Tony, we need you. I'm not ordering you as a leader, I'm asking you as a friend." That set Tony off.

"Oh yeah? Like you 'asked' Hank to hold that Kree power core? You know, to shield the blast? Because there was absolutely no other way to dispose of an unstable power core, right?" I remained diplomatic, but became stern.

"Tony, I know damn well what happened." Tony stood up angrily.

"Do you!? Then I'm sure you'd remember the 17 ways I immediately devised that wouldn't have resulted in the loss of Hank's god damn LIFE! But no! You're the one who gave the order, Cap."

"You think I don't know that his death is on me?"

"No, Steve, I don't think you do! If you really knew that, and you REALLY respected his sacrifice, you wouldn't scramble for the closest super genius you could find!"

"This isn't me looking for a replacement…" Tony threw the helmet at me in a moment of passion, missing and shattering the window. It was in that moment that I saw the ruins of the man I called a friend. Near tears, Tony turned away and swallowed the rest of his drink. He walked towards his bar to get a refill.

"Go bother Richards. Or McCoy. Hell, go to that Parker kid for all I care. I'm done with the Avengers." He said calmly.

"Tony…"

"Get the hell out of my building, Steve." He demanded, his back turned to me. As I hung my head, I walked towards the staircase, and to the rooftop.


End file.
